\n The UN Human Rights Council voted Monday to strengthen a probe into violations in Nicaragua, after investigators determined crimes against humanity were likely taking place.\n<\/p>\n
\n The United Nations' top rights body exceptionally decided to renew the investigation team's mandate for two years rather than the usual one, and to beef up its mission, including to examine the government's decision to strip hundreds of opponents of their nationality.\n<\/p>\n
\n Twenty-one of the council's 47 members voted in favour of the resolution, while another 21 abstained.\n<\/p>\n
\n Algeria, China, Cuba, Eritrea and Vietnam opposed the text.\n<\/p>\n
\n The council's resolution expressed \"grave concern at the deterioration of democracy, the rule of law, the separation of powers and the situation of human rights in Nicaragua\".\n<\/p>\n
\n Since anti-government protests were violently put down in 2018, leaving more than 350 dead, hundreds imprisoned and more than 100,000 in exile, rights groups, the UN and Western governments have accused President Daniel Ortega's government of illegally attempting to crush any and all opposition.\n<\/p>\n
\n The council decided a year ago to create the Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua to investigate a wide array of alleged abuses.\n<\/p>\n
\n The three-person team published its first report last month, finding extensive evidence of crimes against humanity being committed in Nicaragua, pointing to widespread and systematic murder, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, deportation and politically-motivated persecution.\n<\/p>\n
\n Monday's resolution voiced concern at \"the worsening restrictions on civic and democratic space and the repression of dissent in Nicaragua\".\n<\/p>\n
\n It highlighted a vast array of abuses, and condemned \"in the strongest terms\" the government's decision in February to suddenly expel 222 jailed opponents and strip them of their citizenship, and also to remove the nationality of dozens of others already in exile.\n<\/p>\n
\n The text also voiced particular alarm at abuses committed against indigenous people, slamming Nicaragua's failure to ensure their protection from encroachment by armed settlers on protected lands.\n<\/p>\n
\n It also lamented intimidation of environmental activists and rights defenders, religious leaders, journalists and others.\n<\/p>\n
\n And it decried the \"increase in the number of femicides and other acts of sexual and gender-based violence in the country.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n Rights activists hailed the decision.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"Today, the international community sent a clear message: perpetrators at all levels will eventually be held accountable,\" Olga Valle from Urnas Abiertas of the Colectivo 46\/2 said in a statement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The UN Human Rights Council voted Monday to strengthen a probe into violations in Nicaragua, after investigators determined crimes against humanity were likely taking place. The United Nations' top rights body exceptionally decided to renew the investigation team's mandate for two years rather than the usual one, and to beef up its mission, including to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-115015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n